This partnering synopsis solicits potential partners to participate in a proposal development activity that addresses the technical objectives and development of a flight ready prototype Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) pathfinder instrument in response to the NASA Research Announcement (NRA), entitled Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES)-2016 (A.42 Instrument Incubator Program) solicitation (NNH16ZDA001N) released on February 19, 2016, which solicits basic and applied research in support of NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD).
NASA's Earth Science Research Program supports research activities that address the Earth system to characterize its properties on a broad range of spatial and temporal scales, to understand the naturally occurring and human-induced processes that drive them, and to improve our capability for predicting its future evolution. The focus of the Earth Science Research Program is the use of space-based measurements to provide information not available by other means. The science carried out addresses NASA's Strategic Goal 2.1 to "Advance Earth System Science to meet the challenges of climate and environmental change." See the most recent NASA Strategic Plan (see http://nasascience.nasa.gov/about-us/science-strategy/)
The Instrument Incubator Program (IIP) seeks proposals for technology development activities leading to new system and subsystem level airborne and space-based measurement techniques to be developed in support of the SMD Earth Science Division. The objectives of the IIP are to research, develop, and demonstrate new measurement technologies that: (1) Reduce the risk, cost, size, volume, mass, and development time of Earth observing instruments, and (2) Enable new Earth observation measurements. For additional information on the IIP visit the Earth Science Technology Office program website: https://esto.nasa.gov/about_esto_solicitations.html
NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) is seeking to participate in developing a proposal addressing the goals and objectives of the IIP, specifically focusing on the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) pathfinder. Participation in this partnering synopsis is open to all categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, including educational institutions, industry, not-for-profit institutions, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as NASA Centers and other U.S. Government Agencies. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Other Minority Universities (OMUs), small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs), veteran-owned small businesses, service disabled veteran-owned small businesses, HUBzone small businesses, and women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) are encouraged to apply. Participation by non-U.S. organizations is welcome but subject to NASA's policy of no exchange of funds, in which each government supports its own national participants and associated costs.

This partnership opportunity focuses on advancing the components and subsystem technologies necessary to implement a constellation of low-cost, low Earth orbit, small satellite atmospheric occultation instruments that meet or exceed the retrieval capabilities of SAGE II (Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II). The goal of this effort is to sustainably meet NASA's ongoing mandate to monitor ozone in the atmosphere while simultaneously advancing the state of the art, overcoming the geographic sampling limitations of the SAGE series of heritage instruments, and preserving the continuity of the SAGE data product. This requires observing the solar disk during sunrise and sunset occultation events in several spectral channels in the 350 nm to 1050 nm region. The proposed implementation utilizes a constellation of small satellites.

NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) is seeking potential partner(s) having one or more of the following capabilities:
a) Focal plane detector - focal plane detector arrays (128 × 128 or 256 × 256 pixels) and 14 or 16-bit readout electronics with programmable integration time, sensitive to approximately 350 nm to 1050 nm with square pixel pitch, on the order of 1 to 5 million electrons full well, temperature controlled focal plane (non-cryo cooled), and capable of 64 Hz full frame readout rate.
b) CubeSat or small satellite spacecraft bus including structures and trusses for approximately 6U form factor, solar panel electrical power system with at least 25 Whr battery storage. System shall have command and data handling, (aggregate daily data volume of approximately 600 megabytes per day).
c) small satellite attitude determination and control system for a 10 kg 6U total package with at least 1.5 degrees per second slew rate and < 5 arcminute pointing accuracy with Kalman filtered dead reckoning (e.g., 3-axis accelerometer/magnetometer/rate gyros) and absolute attitude determination (e.g., star tracker).
d) CubeSat Integration of flight instrument into the spacecraft bus and any needed electrical component build and assembly.

This partnering opportunity does not guarantee selection for award of any contracts or other agreements, nor is it to be construed as a commitment by NASA to pay for the information solicited. It is expected that the partner(s) selected would provide (at no cost to NASA) conceptual instrument designs (with sufficient details to enable accurate mass, volume, power, and telemetry requirements), operational concepts, calibration and characterization definition and planning, payload constraints/interface analysis, technical risk analysis, and would agree to participate in cost and schedule analysis as part of the mission concept proposal.

Partner selections will be made by LaRC based on the following criteria:

1) Technical Capability. This criterion assesses the technical capabilities required for the performance of the development activity described herein with emphasis on the instrument components listed and CubeSat spacecraft integration and test.

2) Payload Accommodation. This criterion assesses the understanding of accommodating optical payloads. [Applicable to (b) and (d) only].

3) Facilities. This criterion evaluates the proposers facilities (development, testing, and analyses) to conduct the development or demonstration of the proposed task.

4) Cost. This criterion assesses the cost estimate for the space technology solution being offered.

5) Flexibility. This criterion weighs the ability of the proposer to customize the space technology solution to provide extensibility for future instruments in the constellation series.

RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS:

Responses to this partnering synopsis shall be limited to eight (8) pages per item as defined in items (a) through (d), in not less than 12-point font. Responses must address each of the aforementioned evaluation criteria. All responses shall be submitted to NASA LaRC via e-mail by 4:00 PM EST on April 18, 2016 to: [email protected] and [email protected]

Bid Protests Not Available